UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 95-2310
ELEANOR GAMBELLI,
Plaintiff - Appellant,
versus
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; DIXTER HANDY;
NICHOLAS HUNTZINGER; STATE FARM MUTUAL
AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY, as
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Carrier,
Defendants - Appellees.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of Virginia, at Norfolk. Raymond A. Jackson, District
Judge. (CA-94-868-2)
Argued: May 9, 1996 Decided: June 14, 1996
Before HALL and LUTTIG, Circuit Judges, and CHAPMAN, Senior Circuit
Judge.
Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
ARGUED: William David Breit, BREIT, DRESCHER & BREIT, P.C.,
Norfolk, Virginia, for Appellant. Anita K. Henry, Assistant United
States Attorney, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, Norfolk,
Virginia; Lynn Ellen Watson, HEILIG, MCKENRY, FRAIM & LOLLAR, P.C.,
Norfolk, Virginia, for Appellees. ON BRIEF: Billie Hobbs, BREIT,
DRESCHER & BREIT, P.C., Norfolk, Virginia, for Appellant. Thomas
C. Dawson, Jr., HEILIG, MCKENRY, FRAIM & LOLLAR, P.C., Norfolk,
Virginia, for Appellees.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
See Local Rule 36(c).
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PER CURIAM:
Appellant Eleanor Gambelli challenges the district court's
dismissal of her tort claim against the United States and against
two private individuals for injuries sustained in an automobile
accident that occurred when she reentered her car moments after a
prior accident. After the first accident, Corporal Edward
Williams, a naval police officer who happened to pass by, stopped
gratuitously -- even though he was outside his jurisdiction -- to
ensure that nobody was injured and that the local police had been
called. Because, she alleges, Corporal Williams did not foresee
that Gambelli might subsequently become involved in a second
accident, and secure the area accordingly, she sued the United
States under the Federal Tort Claims Act. Additionally, she sued
the drivers of the two cars involved in the accidents, under
pendent party jurisdiction and, allegedly, under diversity.
The district court dismissed the claim against the United
States because Corporal Williams did not undertake any course of
action that would obligate him to prevent future accidents and
because, in any event, he was acting outside the scope of his
employment. Subsequently, and after an additional hearing devoted
solely to the matter, the district court dismissed the claims
against the individual drivers because, although discovery had
proceeded for several months, Gambelli had failed to produce any
probative evidence of diversity, which both drivers denied.
We have considered all of the arguments raised by the parties
in their briefs and at oral argument, and, for the reasons stated
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in the two thorough opinions issued by the district court, we
affirm the judgment of the district court in all respects.
AFFIRMED
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